Bible Verse of the Day Friday June 23rd , 2023

 Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gathers in my name, there am I with them."

In this short verse, there are multiple messages that we can glean. Most of the time, when someone quotes this verse, it is in the context of a verification that Christ Jesus will be among his followers at a gathering of two people and two thousand people, which is correct. However, Jesus is teaching us much more than just that one message.

Some say I don't need to go to Church; I can worship God in my house alone. One can indeed worship God alone, and we should spend our lives in worship of Him. However, in this verse, Jesus is saying that He will be there in a gathering of His people, no matter how large or small. Jesus tells us we should not give up meeting together as God's people (Hebrews 10:25).

This verse also teaches us that no particular place or time is required to meet together to worship God. It does not have to occur on a Sunday morning; it could be during a work break at our place of employment, a hobby club, or a family gathering; the list could go on and on. The important thing is that we meet "in His name." This message from God means that he knows us, and Christ Jesus is the purpose of our gathering. Our gathering together, as His people, should show forth the character and nature of Christ Jesus, namely an unconditional love for all people. We should gather in the name of Jesus in such a manner as to give all the honor and glory to God.

This verse indicates that Christ Jesus is not in any one place in the meeting but among all gathered there. Some say when they leave a church service or other gathering together in the name of Christ Jesus, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him" (John 20:13). Christ Jesus is present wherever His followers and believers gather because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, He comes to the gathering through His followers, He is not in the building waiting for us to go and meet with Him. If someone does not feel the presence of the Holy Spirit of God at a gathering of His people, there are one of two reasons for this. One, they do not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or two, they do have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit but have let the ways of the world cloud over their reception to His leading, guidance, and direction. When we turn our eyes away from the world and onto Jesus, the world's ways will "become strangely dim." The dimmer the world's practices become in our lives, the brighter the true light of Christ Jesus will illuminate our paths (John 8:12; Psalm 119:105).

Let us not miss out on this most beautiful gift of Gathering together, as His people, that God has offered us to get to know Christ Jesus and strengthen our relationship with Him.